System and Method for Processing Transactions

ABSTRACT

A method, computer program product, and computer system for receiving a first scan of an identifier from a first computing device is disclosed. The identifier is associated with a financial transaction. A second scan of the identifier is received from a second computing device. The financial transaction is processed based upon, at least in part, receiving the second scan of the identifier from the second computing device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/422,624 filed on 24 May 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,288,671, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/230,481 filed on31 Mar. 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,304,058, which is a continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/736,579, filed on 8Jan. 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,688,592, the entire contents of which areherein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to electronic transactions systems and, moreparticularly, to methods and systems for processing transactions in moreefficient and/or convenient manners.

BACKGROUND

When performing a transaction (e.g., a financial transaction such asthose used to effectuate the purchase of an item), currency, checks,credit cards, and the like often may be used to facilitate thetransaction. The efficiency or convenience of using any one of theseforms of rendering payment may be limited in certain situations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

In one implementation, a method, performed by one or more computingdevices, comprises receiving a first scan of an identifier from a firstcomputing device. The identifier is associated with a financialtransaction. A second scan of the identifier is received from a secondcomputing device. The financial transaction is processed based upon, atleast in part, receiving the second scan of the identifier from thesecond computing device.

One or more of the following features may be included. Processing thefinancial transaction may include purchasing one or more items.Processing the financial transaction may include transferring an assetfrom a first location to a second location. Validity of the financialtransaction may be authenticated. Authenticating validity of thefinancial transaction may include verifying whether the first scan ofthe identifier matches the second scan of the identifier. Authenticatingvalidity of the financial transaction may include sending a notificationto a user identifying the financial transaction. Authenticating validityof the financial transaction may include receiving a user-basedconfirmation. The identifier may include at least one of a signature andan image. The image may include a code. The code may include at leastone of a bar code and a QR code.

In another implementation, a computing system includes a processor and amemory configured to perform operations comprising receiving a firstscan of an identifier. The identifier is associated with a financialtransaction. A second scan of the identifier is received. The financialtransaction is initiated based upon, at least in part, receiving thesecond scan of the identifier.

One or more of the following features may be included. Processing thefinancial transaction may include purchasing one or more items.Processing the financial transaction may include transferring an assetfrom a first location to a second location. Validity of the financialtransaction may be authenticated. Authenticating validity of thefinancial transaction may include verifying whether the first scan ofthe identifier matches the second scan of the identifier. Authenticatingvalidity of the financial transaction may include sending a notificationto a user identifying the financial transaction. Authenticating validityof the financial transaction may include receiving a user-basedconfirmation. The identifier may include at least one of a signature andan image. The image may include a code. The code may include at leastone of a bar code and a QR code.

In another implementation, a computer program product resides on acomputer readable storage medium that has a plurality of instructionsstored on it. When executed by a processor, the instructions cause theprocessor to perform operations comprising receiving a first scan of anidentifier. The identifier is associated with a financial transaction. Asecond scan of the identifier is received. The financial transaction isinitiated based upon, at least in part, receiving the second scan of theidentifier.

One or more of the following features may be included. Processing thefinancial transaction may include purchasing one or more items.Processing the financial transaction may include transferring an assetfrom a first location to a second location. Validity of the financialtransaction may be authenticated. Authenticating validity of thefinancial transaction may include verifying whether the first scan ofthe identifier matches the second scan of the identifier. Authenticatingvalidity of the financial transaction may include sending a notificationto a user identifying the financial transaction. Authenticating validityof the financial transaction may include receiving a user-basedconfirmation. The identifier may include at least one of a signature andan image. The image may include a code. The code may include at leastone of a bar code and a QR code.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, andthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a transaction processcoupled to a distributed computing network according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a client electronic device of FIG. 1according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an illustrative flowchart of the transaction process of FIG. 1according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of an envelope according toone or more implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a bill according to oneor more implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a check according to oneor more implementations of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is an illustrative diagrammatic view of a screen image displayedby the transaction process of FIG. 1 according to one or moreimplementations of the present disclosure.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION System Overview

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present disclosuremay be embodied as a method, system, or computer program product.Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirelyhardware implementation, an entirely software implementation (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an implementationcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program producton a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program codeembodied in the medium.

Any suitable computer usable or computer readable medium may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer-usable, orcomputer-readable, storage medium (including a storage device associatedwith a computing device or client electronic device) may be, forexample, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device,or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (anon-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium may include thefollowing: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-onlymemory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a media such as thosesupporting the internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device.Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even bea suitable medium upon which the program is stored, scanned, compiled,interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary,and then stored in a computer memory. In the context of this document, acomputer-usable or computer-readable, storage medium may be any tangiblemedium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connectionwith the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave (though this is not a requirementof the present disclosure and it need not be included). Such apropagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but notlimited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combinationthereof. The computer readable program code may be transmitted using anyappropriate medium, including but not limited to the internet, wireline,optical fiber cable, RF, etc. A computer readable signal medium may beany computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storagemedium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program foruse by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus,or device.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentdisclosure may be written in an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java®, Smalltalk, C++ or the like. Java and all Java-basedtrademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracleand/or its affiliates. However, the computer program code for carryingout operations of the present disclosure may also be written inconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language, PASCAL, or similar programming languages, as wellas in scripting languages such as Javascript or PERL. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof apparatus (systems), methods and computer program products accordingto various implementations of the present disclosure. It will beunderstood that each block in the flowchart and/or block diagrams, andcombinations of blocks in the flowchart and/or block diagrams, mayrepresent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one ormore executable computer program instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s)/act(s). These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the computerprogram instructions, which may execute via the processor of thecomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create theability to implement one or more of the functions/acts specified in theflowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks or combinations thereof.It should be noted that, in some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the block(s) may occur out of the order noted in thefigures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, beexecuted substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionalityinvolved.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks or combinations thereof.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed (not necessarily in a particularorder) on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps forimplementing the functions/acts (not necessarily in a particular order)specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks orcombinations thereof.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown transaction process 10 that mayreside on and may be executed by a computer (e.g., computer 12), whichmay be connected to a network (e.g., network 14) (e.g., the internet ora local area network). Examples of computer 12 (and/or one or more ofthe client applications noted below) may include, but are not limitedto, a personal computer(s), a laptop computer(s), an automated tellermachine(s) (ATM), vending machine(s), mobile computing device(s), aserver computer, a series of server computers, a mainframe computer(s),or a computing cloud(s). Computer 12 may execute an operating system,for example, but not limited to, Microsoft® Windows® Mac® OS X®; RedHat® Linux®, or a custom operating system. (Microsoft and Windows areregistered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States,other countries or both; Mac and OS X registered trademarks of AppleInc. in the United States, other countries or both; Red Hat is aregistered trademark of Red Hat Corporation in the United States, othercountries or both; and Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvaldsin the United States, other countries or both).

As will be discussed below in greater detail, transaction process 10 mayreceive a first scan of an identifier from a first computing device. Theidentifier may be associated with a financial transaction. A second scanof the identifier may be received from a second computing device. Thefinancial transaction may be initiated based upon, at least in part,receiving the second scan of the identifier from the second computingdevice.

The instruction sets and subroutines of transaction process 10, whichmay be stored on storage device 16 coupled to computer 12, may beexecuted by one or more processors (not shown) and one or more memoryarchitectures (not shown) included within computer 12. Storage device 16may include but is not limited to: a hard disk drive; a flash drive, atape drive; an optical drive; a RAID array; a random access memory(RAM); and a read-only memory (ROM).

Network 14 may be connected to one or more secondary networks (e.g.,network 18), examples of which may include but are not limited to: alocal area network; a wide area network; or an intranet, for example.

Computer 12 may include a data store (not shown), such as a database(e.g., relational database, object-oriented database, etc.) and may belocated within any suitable memory location, such as storage device 16coupled to computer 12. Any data described throughout may be stored inthe data store. In some implementations, computer 12 may utilize adatabase management system such as, but not limited to, “My StructuredQuery Language” (MySQL®) in order to provide multi-user access to one ormore databases, such as the above noted relational database. The datastore may also be a custom database, such as, for example, a flat filedatabase or an XML database. Any other form(s) of a data storagestructure and/or organization may also be used. Transaction process 10may be a component of the data store, a stand alone application thatinterfaces with the above noted data store and/or an applet/applicationthat is accessed via client applications 22, 24, 26, 28. The above noteddata store may be, in whole or in part, distributed in a cloud computingtopology. In this way, computer 12 and storage device 16 may refer tomultiple devices, which may also be distributed throughout the network.

Computer 12 may execute one or more financial applications (e.g.,financial application 20), examples of which may include, but are notlimited to, e.g., a financial institution application, a financialprocessing application, an authentication application, an e-commerceapplication, an acquirer application, or other application that allowspayment and/or asset (e.g., money) transfers to be effectuated, e.g.,through the Internet or otherwise.

Transaction process 10 and/or financial application 20 may be accessedvia, e.g., client applications 22, 24, 26, 28. Transaction process 10,financial application 20, one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26,28, or a combination thereof, may be, e.g., a stand alone application,or may be an applet/application/script that may interact with and/or beexecuted within transaction process 10, financial application 20, one ormore of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28, or a combination thereof.Examples of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 may include, but are notlimited to, e.g., a financial institution application, a financialprocessing application, an authentication application, an e-commerceapplication, an acquirer application, or other application that allowspayment and/or asset (e.g., money) transfers to be effectuated, e.g.,through the Internet or otherwise, a scanning application, a standardand/or mobile web browser, an email client application, a textual and/ora graphical user interface, a customized web browser, a plugin, or acustom application. The instruction sets and subroutines of clientapplications 22, 24, 26, 28, which may be stored on storage devices 30,32, 34, 36 coupled to client electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44, may beexecuted by one or more processors (not shown) and one or more memoryarchitectures (not shown) incorporated into client electronic devices38, 40, 42, 44.

Storage devices 30, 32, 34, 36 may include but are not limited to: harddisk drives; solid-state drives (SSDs), flash drives, tape drives;optical drives; RAID arrays; random access memories (RAM); and read-onlymemories (ROM). Examples of client electronic devices 38, 40, 42, 44(and/or computer 12) may include, but are not limited to, a personalcomputer (e.g., client electronic device 38), a laptop computer (e.g.,client electronic device 40), a smart phone (e.g., client electronicdevice 42), a notebook computer (e.g., client electronic device 44), atablet (not shown), a server (not shown), a checkout register, anautomated teller machine (ATM; not shown), a vending machine, a scanner(e.g., code scanner, image scanner, etc.), a data-enabled, cellulartelephone (not shown), a television (not shown), a smart television (notshown), a media (e.g., video, photo, etc.) capturing device (not shown),and a dedicated network device (not shown). Client electronic devices38, 40, 42, 44 may each execute an operating system, examples of whichmay include but are not limited to, Android™, Apple® iOS®, Mac® OS X®;Red Hat® Linux®, or a custom operating system.

One or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 may be configured toeffectuate some or all of the functionality of transaction process 10(and vice versa). Accordingly, transaction process 10 may be a purelyserver-side application, a purely client-side application, or a hybridserver-side/client-side application that is cooperatively executed byone or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 and/or transactionprocess 10.

One or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 may be configured toeffectuate some or all of the functionality of financial application 20(and vice versa). Accordingly, financial application 20 may be a purelyserver-side application, a purely client-side application, or a hybridserver-side/client-side application that is cooperatively executed byone or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28 and/or financialapplication 20. As one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28,transaction process 10, and financial application 20, taken singly or inany combination, may effectuate some or all of the same functionality,any description of effectuating such functionality via one or more ofclient applications 22, 24, 26, 28, transaction process 10, financialapplication 20, or combination thereof, and any described interaction(s)between one or more of client applications 22, 24, 26, 28, transactionprocess 10, financial application 20, or combination thereof toeffectuate such functionality, should be taken as an example only andnot as a limitation of this disclosure.

Users 46, 48, 50, 52 may access computer 12 and transaction process 10directly through network 14 and/or through secondary network 18.Further, computer 12 may be connected to network 14 through secondarynetwork 18, as illustrated with phantom link line 54. Transactionprocess 10 may include one or more user interfaces, such as browsers andtextual or graphical user interfaces, through which users 46, 48, 50, 52may access transaction process 10.

The various client electronic devices may be directly or indirectlycoupled to network 14 (or network 18). For example, client electronicdevice 38 is shown directly coupled to network 14 via a hardwirednetwork connection. Further, client electronic device 44 is showndirectly coupled to network 18 via a hardwired network connection.Client electronic device 40 is shown wirelessly coupled to network 14via wireless communication channel 56 established between clientelectronic device 40 and wireless access point (i.e., WAP) 58, which isshown directly coupled to network 14. WAP 58 may be, for example, anIEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, Wi-Fi, and/or Bluetooth™ device that iscapable of establishing wireless communication channel 56 between clientelectronic device 40 and WAP 58. Client electronic device 42 is shownwirelessly coupled to network 14 via wireless communication channel 60established between client electronic device 42 and cellularnetwork/bridge 62, which is shown directly coupled to network 14.

Some or all of the IEEE 802.11x specifications may use Ethernet protocoland carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (i.e.,CSMA/CA) for path sharing. The various 802.11x specifications may usephase-shift keying (i.e., PSK) modulation or complementary code keying(i.e., CCK) modulation, for example. Bluetooth is a telecommunicationsindustry specification that allows, e.g., mobile phones, computers,smart phones, and other electronic devices to be interconnected using ashort-range wireless connection.

Referring also to FIG. 2, there is shown a diagrammatic view of clientelectronic device 38. While client electronic device 38 is shown in thisfigure, this is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to bea limitation of this disclosure, as other configuration are possible.For example, any computing device capable of executing, in whole or inpart, transaction process 10 may be substituted for client electronicdevice 38 within FIG. 2, examples of which may include but are notlimited to computer 12 and/or client electronic devices 40, 42, 44.

Client electronic device 38 may include a processor and/ormicroprocessor (e.g., microprocessor 200) configured to, e.g., processdata and execute the above-noted code/instruction sets and subroutines.Microprocessor 200 may be coupled via a storage adaptor (not shown) tothe above-noted storage device 16. An I/O controller (e.g., I/Ocontroller 202) may be configured to couple microprocessor 200 withvarious devices, such as keyboard 206, pointing/selecting device (e.g.,mouse 208), custom device (e.g., scanner 215), USB ports (not shown),and printer ports (not shown). A display adaptor (e.g., display adaptor210) may be configured to couple display 212 (e.g., CRT or LCDmonitor(s)) with microprocessor 200, while network controller/adaptor214 (e.g., an Ethernet adaptor) may be configured to couplemicroprocessor 200 to the above-noted network 14 (e.g., the Internet ora local area network).

As discussed above and referring also to FIGS. 3-7, transaction process10 may receive 300 a first scan of an identifier from a first computingdevice. The identifier may be associated 302 with a financialtransaction by transaction process 10. A second scan of the identifiermay be received 304 by transaction process 10 from a second computingdevice. The financial transaction may be processed 306 by transactionprocess 10 based upon, at least in part, receiving 304 the second scanof the identifier from the second computing device.

For instance, assume for example purposes only that a user (e.g., user50) desires to mail a letter and places the letter in an envelope (e.g.,envelope 400) or other type of suitable packaging. In this example,envelope 400 may include an identifier (e.g., identifier 402). In someimplementations, the identifier may include at least one of a signature(e.g., handwritten or otherwise) and an image. In some implementations,the image may include a code. The code may include at least one of a barcode and a QR Code®. QR code is a registered trademark of Denso WaveInc. in the United States, other countries or both. QR code may includea micro QR code. Other examples of signatures, images, codes (e.g.,single or multi-dimensional), number/letter combinations, or any otheridentifiers may also be used without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure.

In some implementations, identifier 402 may be printed on envelope 400,e.g., by user 50 inserting envelope 400 into a printer, and/or may bepre-printed on envelope 400, e.g., by a manufacturer of envelope 400. Insome implementations, identifier 402 may be printed separately andsubsequently combined with envelope 400. For example, identifier 402 mayinclude, e.g., an adhesive to enable identifier 402 to be affixed toenvelope 400. Other techniques of combining identifier 402 with envelope400 may also be used without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure.

In this example, and in some implementations, transaction process 10(e.g., via client application 26, financial application 20, orcombination thereof) may receive 300 a first scan of an identifier(e.g., identifier 402) from, e.g., a first computing device (e.g.,client electronic device 42). For instance, assume for example purposesonly that client electronic device 42 includes, e.g., a camera, scanner,or other image capturing capabilities. User 50 may utilize the scanner(e.g., via client application 26) of client electronic device 42 tocapture identifier 402. In some implementations, the captured identifier402 may be sent from client electronic device 42 to be received 300 bytransaction process 10 (and/or financial application 20) at, e.g.,another computing device (e.g., computer 12).

In some implementations, transaction process 10 may associate 302identifier 402 with a financial transaction. For instance, assume forexample purposes only that identifier 402 is used, e.g., to facilitatepayment of at least a portion of the cost of mailing envelope 400. Inthis example, transaction process 10 may associate 302 (e.g., correlate,link, tie, relate, etc.) identifier 402 with the financial transactionof paying for the cost of mailing envelope 400 (e.g., based upon, atleast in part, receiving 300 the first scan of identifier 402), byaccessing, e.g., the data store described above that may containinformation to effectuate the financial transaction, as discussed below.

In some implementations, associating 302 identifier 402 with thefinancial transaction may include associating 302 identifier 402 with anaccount of a financial institution (e.g., bank) of, e.g., user 50. Forexample, transaction process 10 may associate 302 identifier 402 with asavings/checking account of user 50.

In some implementations, associating 302 identifier 402 with thefinancial transaction may include associating 302 identifier 402 withuser 50. For example, identifier 402 may be uniquely (e.g., exclusively)associated 302 with user 50 (and/or a business entity), similar to acredit card number, bank account number, utility account number, etc.This is not intended to be a limitation of this disclosure, as otherimplementations may be utilized.

For example, identifier 402 may be uniquely associated 302 with user 50,e.g., permanently, and/or for a duration of time (e.g., seconds,minutes, days, etc.), and/or until another user (e.g., user 52) scans(and/or transaction process 10 receives) identifier 402 before theabove-noted financial transaction has been processed 306 or completed.In the latter example, this may have the effect of negating or otherwiseremoving the association 302 of identifier 402 with user 50 for thefinancial transaction, and instead associating 302 identifier 402 withuser 52 for the financial transaction (or adding the association 302 ofidentifier 402 with user 52 for the financial transaction as similarlydiscussed above with the financial transaction of user 50 for thefinancial transaction).

Additionally/alternatively, identifier 402 may be uniquely associated302 with user 50 until user 50 scans (and/or transaction process 10receives) identifier 402 a second time from user 50 (again) before theabove-noted financial transaction has been processed 306 or completed(or until the above-noted financial transaction has been processed 306or completed), at which time identifier 402 may be “freed” (e.g., madeavailable) to be uniquely associated 302 with a different user (e.g.,user 52).

In some implementations, information regarding the financial transactionmay be employed. This includes, but is not limited to, account number704; routing number 706; financial institution name from which the costof mailing envelope 400 is transferred 708 for the financialtransaction; financial institution name to which the cost of mailingenvelope 400 is transferred 710 for the financial transaction; financialinstitution account username/password/pin 712 a (e.g., credentials foraccessing one or more of the above-noted financial institutions viaclient application 26, transaction process 10, financial application 20,or a combination thereof); client application accountusername/password(s)/pin 712 b (e.g., credentials for accessing one ormore of the above-noted financial institutions via client application26, transaction process 10, financial application 20, or a combinationthereof); amount of money to transfer 714; and a memo describing thefinancial transaction 716. Such information (e.g., pertaining to thefinancial institution) may be used for the association 302 and may beprovided (e.g., manually) by user 50 (e.g., via an example userinterface 700 of client application 26 and pointer 702, as shown in FIG.7) and/or automatically (e.g., via client application 26, transactionprocess 10, financial application 20, or a combination thereof), e.g.,in response to user interface 700 being provided with relevant accesscredentials.

For example, by providing transaction process 10 with the credentialsthat may be used to log into an online account of the financialinstitution (e.g., financial institution username for user 50, financialinstitution password for user 50, etc.), the above-noted information maybe accessed by transaction process 10. In some implementations, userinterface 700 may enable user 50 to provide a nickname (e.g., nickname“Stamp” 718) for identifier 402, e.g., to distinguish it from otheridentifiers (not shown).

In some implementations, transaction process 10 may receive 304 (e.g.,via a second computing device such as computer 12) a second scan ofidentifier 402. For instance, assume for example purposes only that user50 has mailed envelope 400 and that envelope 400 has been received by,e.g., the post office or other courier. The post office may scanidentifier 402 (e.g., from envelope 400) that may, in turn, be received304 by transaction process 10. In some implementations, the second scanof identifier 402 may occur at any point in time. For example, thesecond scan of identifier 402 may occur when envelope 400 is received ata mailbox receptacle, when envelope 400 is received by the mail personfor the first time, when envelope 400 is being processed at a local postoffice, when envelope 400 is delivered to the appropriate address (e.g.,when signing for receipt of envelope 400 and/or confirming delivery ofenvelope 400), or any other time.

In some implementations, transaction process 10 may process 306 thefinancial transaction based upon, at least in part, receiving 304 thesecond scan of identifier 402 (e.g., via computer 12). The term“process” (or “processing”) may imply a specific first action taken toprocess the financial transaction (e.g., initiating a transaction),continued processing of the financial transaction, and/or completing thefinancial transaction. For example, processing 306 the financialtransaction may include purchasing 308 (e.g., via transaction process10, financial application 20, client application 26, or a combinationthereof) one or more items. For instance, the one or more items mayinclude the cost of mailing envelope 400. Other items and/or servicesmay also be purchased without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure.

Other examples of processing 306 may also be implemented withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. For example, processing 306the financial transaction may include transaction process 10 (e.g., viafinancial application 20, client application 26, or combination thereof)transferring 310 an asset (e.g., currency, title, stock, etc.) from afirst location to a second location. For instance, assume for examplepurposes only that when the post office scans identifier 402 (and/oridentifier 402 is received 304 by transaction process 10), the cost ofmailing envelope 400 (e.g., $0.50) may be transferred 310 from, e.g., anaccount of a financial institution of user 50 (e.g., the first location,or the source), to an account of a financial institution (e.g., bank) ofthe post office (e.g., the second location, or the target).

In some implementations, the cost of mailing envelope 400 may havealready been transferred 310 from the account of user 50 to, e.g., anacquirer account, an escrow account, a holding account, intermediateaccount, etc. This may occur, e.g., in response to transaction process10 receiving 300 the first scan of identifier 402, and/or user 50“pre-paying” for a future financial transaction before it occurs, and/orif a minimum threshold balance for any of the above-noted accounts isrequired, as well as in response to other situations. For instance, thefirst scan and the second scan may be the same scan (e.g., only one scanmay actually be captured), such that transaction process 10 may process306 the financial transaction based upon, at least in part, receiving300/304 either the first scan of identifier 402 and/or the second scanof identifier 402. In this example, when the post office scansidentifier 402 (and/or identifier 402 is received 304 by transactionprocess 10), the cost of mailing envelope 400 (e.g., $0.50) may betransferred 310 from, e.g., the acquirer account, to the account of thefinancial institution of the post office. As such, the acquirer accountmay be considered the first location (or the source) and the secondlocation (or the target) as appropriate.

Continuing with the above-recited example, the cost of mailing envelope400 (e.g., $0.50) may be transferred 310 from, e.g., a credit card (ordebit card) account of the financial institution of user 50. In someimplementations, if $0.50 is more money than is needed to mail envelope400 (e.g., user 50 has paid too much to mail envelope 400), at least aportion of the refund of the excess cost may be provided to any of theabove-noted accounts (e.g., back to the account of the financialinstitution of user 50, acquirer account, etc.).

In some implementations, some or all of the refund may be transferred310 to another account (e.g., charity, company, friend/family, etc.)that may be designated, e.g., via transaction process 10. For example, acompany associated with, e.g., transaction process 10, may, in exchangefor refunding at least a portion of the excess cost that might notnormally be identified and refunded, charge a “finder fee” of, e.g., 10%of the refunded cost and/or a flat fee of, e.g., $0.10 per refund.

In some implementations, user 50 may provide identifier 402 to anotheruser (e.g., user 52). For instance, assume for example purposes onlythat user 50 has forgotten a set of expensive headphones at the home ofuser 52, and user 50 has asked user 52 to mail the headphones back touser 50. In this example, rather than requiring user 52 to pay for thecost of mailing the headphones, user 50 (e.g., via client application 26and/or transaction process 10) may send (e.g., email, text, etc.)identifier 402 to user 52 for use when mailing the headphones. In thismanner, transaction process 10 may receive 300 the first scan ofidentifier 402, which may include transaction process 10 generatingidentifier 402. Thus, in some implementations, receiving 300 the firstscan may include the generation of identifier 402 and/or the capturingof identifier 402 via a scan of identifier 402.

Additionally, upon delivery of the headphones to user 50, a second scanof identifier 402 may be received 304 by transaction process 10 when,e.g., user 50 signs for the delivery. Upon receipt 304 of the secondscan of identifier 402, transaction process 10 may then process 306 thefinancial transaction, thereby charging user 50 for the cost of mailingthe headphones (e.g., as opposed to user 52).

Some implementations may enable identifier 402 to be associated 302 withmore than one financial transaction (for more than one user) at a time.For instance, assume for example purposes only that a letter is beingsent by, e.g., user 50 and user 48, and they would like to split thecost of mailing envelope 400. In this example, each user may scanidentifier 402 (e.g., with different client electronic devices),resulting in two scans that may be received 300 by transaction process10. Further, transaction process 10 may associate 302 identifier 402with each respective user's financial institution account as notedabove, such that when transaction process 10 processes 306 the financialtransaction, the cost of mailing envelope 400 is split evenly (or asevenly as possible; additionally/alternatively, each user may enter anamount that each desires to pay via the above-noted user interface 700).

Such an implementation may be beneficial in many various situations, forexample, where multiple users wish to split a bar tab, restaurant bill,rent, utilities, transportation, etc. In some implementations, as notedabove, user 50 may (e.g., via user interface 700 of client application26) input the amount (e.g., percentage, number, etc.) that user 50 wouldlike to be responsible for paying when the financial transaction isprocessed 306. As a more specific example, such as the restaurant billexample, identifier 402 may be combined with a bill (e.g., restaurantbill 500) or a receipt. Continuing with the restaurant bill example,scanning identifier 402 on restaurant bill 500 may (e.g., viatransaction process 10 and/or client application 26) render at leastsome of the contents of restaurant bill 500 on at least clientelectronic device 42 (e.g., via a display) (not shown). This may enableuser 50 (e.g., via transaction process 10 and/or client application 26)to select which items user 50 would like to pay for in the financialtransaction. This may, for example, obviate the need for the server tosplit up the items.

In some implementations, the scan received 300 from user 50 (e.g., viaclient application 26) may be the first scan of identifier 402, and thescan received 304 from user 48 (e.g., via client application 24) may bethe second scan of identifier 402. For example, the first scan ofidentifier 402 from user 50 may be such that user 50 wants to pay 40% ofrestaurant bill 500, leaving 60% remaining for user 48. In this example,the second scan of identifier 402 received 304 from user 48 may causetransaction process 10 to process 306 the financial transaction for user50 to pay for 40% of restaurant bill 500 and/or user 48 to pay for 60%of restaurant bill 500. This is not intended to be a limitation of thepresent disclosure however, as in some implementations, receiving thescan of identifier 402 from user 50 may cause transaction process 10 toprocess 306 payment by user 50 before the scan by user 48 is received.

In some implementations (similar to the example described with respectto restaurant bill 500), each individual item on the menu may beassociated with an identifier, such that user 50 scanning theappropriate identifier adds the cost of that menu item to the financialtransaction to be processed 306 by transaction process 10, as well as insome implementations, to send the items to a cook for preparation. Inthis example, the items sent to the cook may also identify who orderedthe item (e.g., by name, table, etc.), whether the food was delivered tothe table, as well as any other special instructions associated with theorder that may be entered by, e.g., user 50 (e.g., no onions), e.g., viathe above-noted user interface 700. Additionally, e.g., when orderingalcoholic beverages, transaction process 10 (e.g., via client electronicdevice 26) may automatically perform an age verification process toensure user 50 is of legal age to purchase such a beverage.

Other implementations also exist. As another example, assume that user50 is grocery shopping. In this example, user 50 may scan (e.g., four)items (each with their own respectively unique identifier), such thatthose four items are added to the cost of the financial transaction tobe processed 306 by transaction process 10. More specifically, theunique identifier may be associated with all of the same items (e.g.,Brand X Canned Corn), and/or may be associated with an individual can ofcanned corn. This may, e.g., be beneficial for gathering producerestocking information.

Additionally/alternatively, transaction process 10 may gatherinformation pertaining to the items for sales, marketing, or otherpurposes. For example, transaction process 10 may send targeted ads orcoupons for, e.g., corn or other items, to user 50 (e.g., via mail orvia client application 26) based upon, at least in part, user 50scanning the identifier (not shown) of canned corn and/or including thecost of the canned corn in the financial transaction. Transactionprocess 10 may also enable user 50 to opt-out of such informationgathering.

As noted above, identifier 402 may be associated 302 with more than onefinancial transaction at a time. For instance, assume for examplepurposes only that an item is being sold on a television (e.g., smartTV;not shown) and identifier 402 appears on the TV display. In the example,user 48 and user 50 may each scan identifier 402 (e.g., with differentclient electronic devices), resulting in two scans that may be received300 by transaction process 10. Further, transaction process 10 mayassociate 302 identifier 402 with each respective user's financialinstitution account as noted above, such that when transaction process10 processes 306 the financial transaction, the cost of purchasing theitem may be processed for each user separately (e.g., each user may payfull price and purchase the item themselves).

In some implementations, as noted above, identifier 402 may be uniquely(e.g., exclusively) associated 302 with user 50, such that theidentifier that appears on the TV display for user 50 is different thanthe identifier that appears on the TV display for user 48. That is, theabove-example may be used, e.g., to bid on an item during a TV auction,where each user's scan may constitute the next bid. The increase in bidamount may be, e.g., entered manually by user 50 and/or may bepre-determined as an automatic increased amount. A preset maximumbidding amount may be used by transaction process 10 (and/or clientapplication 26) such that scanning identifier 402 does not constitutethe next bid if the next bid amount would be greater than the presetmaximum bidding amount.

In some implementations, the validity of the financial transaction maybe authenticated 312 by transaction process 10. For instance, thevalidity of the financial transaction may be authenticated 312 beforetransferring 310 the cost of mailing envelope 400 to the acquireraccount and/or to the account of the financial institution of the postoffice. For example, authenticating 312 the validity of the financialtransaction may include ensuring that user 50 (and/or someone elseauthorized to act on behalf of user 50) is the person (or entity)authorized to start, e.g., the first scan of identifier 402 (e.g., viaclient application 26) or authorized to commence any other activitiesthat may result in processing 306 of the financial transaction bytransaction process 10.

In some implementations, authenticating 312 validity of the financialtransaction may include transaction process 10 verifying 314 whether thefirst scan of identifier 402 matches the second scan of identifier 402.For instance, assume for example purposes only that the first scan ofidentifier 402 is received 300 by transaction process 10 executing oncomputer 12 and stored, e.g., in the above-noted data store. Furtherassume that a different envelope (not shown) mailed by a different userincludes a different identifier than identifier 402, and that a scan ofthe different identifier is received by transaction process 10. In thisexample, transaction process 10 may compare the first scan of identifier402 (e.g., received 300 from client electronic device 42 and stored inthe above-noted data store) with the second scan of the differentidentifier. Because the first scan of identifier 402 may not match thesecond scan of the different identifier, transaction process 10 may notauthenticate 312 the validity of the financial transaction and thereforemay prevent processing 306 from initiating, continuing, and/orcompleting (e.g., at least for one user).

Conversely, assuming for example purposes only that envelope 400 iseventually scanned and received by transaction process 10, transactionprocess 10 may compare the first scan of identifier 402 with the secondscan of identifier 402. Based upon, at least in part, the first scan ofidentifier 402 matching the second scan of identifier 402, transactionprocess 10 may authenticate 312 the validity of the financialtransaction and may initiate, continue, or complete processing 306.

In some implementations, the first scan may not need to be received 300by transaction process 10 to process 306 each financial transaction. Forexample, as noted above, identifier 402 may include a signature (e.g.,handwritten or otherwise). In this example, transaction process 10 mayreceive 300 a first scan of the signature of user 50 as a template fromwhich to compare other signatures.

More specifically, assume for example purposes only that the first scanof the signature of user 50 is received 300 and stored in theabove-noted data store. In this example, a different user may attempt toforge the signature of user 50 to obtain free postage. Thus, transactionprocess 10 may compare the first scan of the signature of user 50 withthe second scan of the forgery. If the two signatures do not match(e.g., within some threshold difference), transaction process 10 may notauthenticate 312 the validity of the financial transaction, and mayprevent processing 306 from initiating, continuing, and/or completing.

Conversely, if the two signatures do match (e.g., within some thresholddifference), transaction process 10 may authenticate 312 the validity ofthe financial transaction and may initiate, continue, or completeprocessing 306 of the financial transaction. Thus, in someimplementations, user 50 may simply sign each envelope without sending(e.g., via client application 26) a scan of each envelope's signature totransaction process 10. Additionally/alternatively, the above examplemay apply equally to, e.g., other identifiers such as a QR code, suchthat a QR code exclusive to user 50 may be received as a template, anduser 50 may simply use the exclusive QR code on each envelope withoutsending (e.g., via client application 26) a scan of each envelope's QRcode to transaction process 10. This may also include the transmissionof one or more QR codes to transaction process 10 together as a“package” of QR codes.

In some implementations, authenticating 312 validity of the financialtransaction may include transaction process 10 sending 316 anotification to a user identifying the financial transaction. Forinstance, after at least one of the first and second scans is eithercaptured (e.g., by client application 26) and/or received 300/304 bytransaction process 10, transaction process 10 may send 316 anotification (e.g., mail, email, push notification, text message,telephone message/call, etc.) to user 50 (e.g., via client electronicdevice 42) indicating, e.g., that the scan has occurred and/or that afinancial transaction is pending (or has occurred). In someimplementations, the notification may include at least a portion of theinformation from user interface 700, e.g., to help identify thetransaction from other transactions. Moreover, transaction process 10may send 316 the notification to user 50 at other times withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Such a notification may beused, e.g., for record keeping, to alert user 50 to the attemptedfinancial transaction, or other uses without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure.

In some implementations, authenticating 312 validity of the financialtransaction may include transaction process 10 receiving 318 auser-based confirmation. For example, to enable scanning (e.g., thefirst scan) of identifier 402, transaction process 10 may require thatuser 50 (e.g., via client application 26) log in with a username and/ora password (e.g., a pin). In this example, client application 26 maysend a notification to transaction process 10 that the password wasentered successfully to authenticate 312 the validity of the financialtransaction.

Other examples of a user-based confirmation may also be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. For example, user 50 mayreply to the above-noted email notification, and/or may receive a phonecall (e.g., from the financial institution of user 50) to verify thefinancial transaction. In some implementations, the user-basedconfirmation may be requested and/or received 318 anytime before and/orafter the first scan. For example, before the financial transaction isprocessed 306, user 50 may be required to reply to the above-noted emailconfirmation. As another example, for instance, in the above examplewhere user 52 is utilizing identifier 402 allegedly with permission fromuser 50 when mailing the headphones, the user-based confirmation may berequested and/or received 318 by user 50 after the second scan isreceived 304. As another example, the user-based confirmation may berequested and/or received 318 by user 52 after the second scan isreceived 304. In some implementations, the user-based confirmation byuser 52 may include, e.g., a pin sent from user 50 (e.g., via clientapplication 26) to be entered by user 52 (e.g., via client application28).

While one or more implementations may be described using examples of“financial” transactions, transaction process 10 may be used for othertypes of transactions or events without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. For example, identifier 402 may be combined and associated302 with the transaction or event of issuing and/or filling pharmacyprescriptions, e.g., to help prevent forged prescriptions and maintainmore accurate records of issued and/or filled prescriptions. In thisexample, the first scan of identifier 402 on the prescription may berequired, e.g., by a doctor (e.g., when issuing the prescription) to bereceived 300 (e.g., by a computing device of a pharmacy) before apharmacy (including, but not limited to, mail-order pharmacies) may beauthorized to fill the prescription and/or before the pharmacy mayaccept payment for the prescription (including, e.g., alerting aninsurance company as to the transaction or event for rendering payment(or reimbursement)).

Continuing with the above-stated example, identifier 402 (which mayinclude an Rx number for the prescription) may be associated 302 with anobject (e.g., the prescription), and/or any transaction/event (e.g.,paying for the prescription, legitimizing, issuing and/or filling theprescription, etc.). More specifically, a scan of identifier 402 may bereceived 300/304 by transaction process 10, thereby causing transactionprocess 10 to process 306 the above-noted transaction/event. In someimplementations, identifier 402 may be combined with the prescriptionbottle, where, e.g., a scan of identifier 402 received 300/304, e.g., bya pharmacy computing device (not shown), transaction process 10 mayprocess 306, e.g., the above-noted transaction/event and/or thetransaction/event of refilling the prescription (e.g., if theprescription has refills available). This may be similar to the resultof a user “calling in” to refill the prescription by phoning thepharmacy and providing the Rx number.

As another non-limiting example such as issuing a ticket (e.g., speedingticket, parking ticket, etc.), a first scan may be received 300 at afirst computing device, e.g., of a police station, e.g., from a “metermaid” with, e.g., a second computing device. Upon doing so, transactionprocess 10 may associate 302 identifier 402 with an object (e.g., theparking ticket, an illegally parked vehicle or registration of theillegally parked vehicle, etc.) and/or any transaction/event (e.g.,paying for the parking ticket, issuing the parking ticket, etc.).Further, a second scan of identifier 402 may be received 304 from, e.g.,the owner of the vehicle, thereby causing transaction process 10 toprocess 306 the above-noted transaction/event.

As an additional example, such as paying for parking, a first scan maybe received 300 at a computing device, e.g., a parking meter, e.g., fromthe user parking the vehicle. Transaction process 10 may then associate302 identifier 402 with an object (e.g., the parking meter, the parkingmeter receipt that may show the time when the parking receipt is valid,the parked vehicle or registration of the parked vehicle, etc.) and/orany transaction/event (e.g., paying for the parking receipt as discussedabove (or paying for the meter itself where no parking receipts areissued)), renewing the parking receipt, issuing the parking receipt,sending an alert to a user when the meter expires, etc.). Further, asecond scan of identifier 402 may be received 304 from, e.g., the ownerof the vehicle, at the parking meter or via the receipt, thereby causingtransaction process 10 to process 306 the above-noted transaction/event.This is not intended to be a limitation of the present disclosure,however, as in some implementations, an expired parking meter may resultin issuing the above-noted parking ticket by, e.g., the meter maidscanning identifier 402 (e.g., on the meter and/or parking receiptsimilarly as described above). Accordingly, the “financial” transactionmay, but need not, exclude other transaction/event types.

In another non-limiting example, identifier 402 may be combined with a“financial instrument” (e.g., check, traveler's check, credit card,debit card, pre-paid and/or refillable card, cash, “money grams”, bankdeposit/withdrawal slips, and the like). For example, and prior to beingput into circulation, e.g., by the Federal Reserve, a first scan ofidentifier 402 (e.g., printed on cash such as a dollar bill) may berequired, e.g., by the U.S. Treasury Department, which may beresponsible for printing the currency. To authenticate 312 the validityof the dollar bill, a user may scan identifier 402 (e.g., the secondscan) on the dollar bill, which may send a request, e.g., to the U.S.Treasury Department, to provide verification of the dollar bill'scirculation. In some implementations, a data store containing all firstscanned identifiers may be searched in response to the second scan. Thismay reduce counterfeiting of the currency, and may assist in thetracking of the dollar bill. Other verification techniques may also beused without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

In some implementations, the first scan of identifier 402 (e.g., oncheck 600) may be required to make it eligible for being deposited orcashed. This may obviate the need for using routing and account numberson checks. For instance, scanning identifier 402 may (e.g., via clientapplication 26 and/or transaction process 10) cause transaction process10 to associate 302 identifier 402 with, e.g., routing/account numbers,the check amount, the person to whom check 600 is made out, the date ofcheck 600, and/or other information typically printed on a check thatmay be used to effectuate a financial transaction. Such information maybe stored and/or later accessed by transaction process 10 in theabove-noted data store, e.g., for security purposes and/or to effectuatethe financial transaction. The information may also be manually writtento check 600 for convenience.

Additionally/alternatively, each identifier 402 may, but need not,differ from check to check. The data encoded within identifier 402 (oridentifier 402 itself) may also be encrypted using, e.g., a dataencryption standard (DES) algorithm for added security. Moreover, thelocation where the information may be stored and/or accessed toeffectuate a financial transaction may be identified, at least in part,by identifier 402. Other well-known techniques for identifying thelocation where the information may be stored (and/or accessed) may alsobe used without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example,the second scan of identifier 402 may cause, e.g., transaction process10, to read the associated information (e.g., from the above-noted datastore) to effectuate the appropriate financial transaction.

In still further implementations, an ATM (not shown) may be the clientelectronic device performing the second scan (via transaction process10) and/or by, e.g., a scanning device used by a person behind a tellercounter. Thus, in some implementations, e.g., when using payment via anelectronic check, the above example may still apply, wherein identifier402 may be rendered on a display of a computing device for scanning inaddition to (or in place of) the bank account information received300/304 to make the electronic check eligible for being used as apayment method. This may, e.g., reduce the chance that bank accountinformation is discovered by computer hackers, since identifier 402 mayreplace the need to manually enter such bank account information.However, identifier 402 may be rendered on a computing device display(e.g., to be scanned) for use with any of the examples discussedthroughout without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

As another example, a scan of identifier 402 (e.g., on a pre-paid and/orrefillable “card” made from any material, such as plastic, paper, etc.)may be received 300/304 from user 50, where transaction process 10 mayassociate 302 the bank account of user 50 with identifier 402 (and thecard). In some implementations, the card may be printed by a printer ofuser 50 and need not be obtained from a store. For example, user 50 (oranother user) may, e.g., via transaction process 10, activate, fill, orrefill the card with money from the bank account of user 50 (e.g.,process 306 the financial transaction), e.g., by transaction process 10receiving 300/304 a scan of identifier 402 as discussed above. Theamount to put on the card may be entered (e.g., manually) by user 50(e.g., via user interface 700 of client application 26) and/orautomatically (e.g., via transaction process 10). In someimplementations, receiving 304 the second scan (e.g., when using thecard to purchase something) may cause transaction process 10 to process306 the activation, filling, or refilling of the card. This may, e.g.,obviate the need for user 50 to carry around means of payment such ascash and credit cards.

In some implementations, transaction process 10 may be used to“pre-withdraw” cash from an ATM. For instance, assume for examplepurposes only that, e.g., a debit card, of user 50 includes identifier402 (and may replace card number information). Transaction process 10may receive 300 a scan of identifier 402 (e.g., via client electronicapplication 26) and associate 302 the identifier with the financialtransaction of withdrawing cash from the ATM. In some implementations,identifier 402 may be located, e.g., on the ATM itself.Additionally/alternatively, associating 302 identifier 402 with thefinancial transaction may include transaction process 10 associating 302information (e.g., ATM pin, amount of money (to withdraw, transfer,deposit, etc.)) at the ATM. The information may be entered (e.g.,manually) by user 50 (e.g., via client application 26) and/orautomatically (e.g., via transaction process 10 as noted above), e.g.,as default values in response to the scan. In this example, the secondscan of identifier 302 (e.g., from the debit card), may be scanned bythe ATM when being inserted into the ATM, which may cause transactionprocess 10 to process 306 the above-noted financial transaction and,e.g., (physically and/or electronically) transfer 310 an amount of moneyvia the ATM to user 50. This may, e.g., result in fewer lines accruingat ATMs, as well as reduce the chances that someone sees the pin beingentered at the ATM. In some implementations, computing devices otherthan an ATM (e.g., a vending machine) may similarly be used to purchasean item from the vending machine.

In some implementations, more than one identifier may be combined with,e.g., envelope 400. For instance, assume for example purposes only thatenvelope 400 includes two identifiers (not shown) that may be associatedwith one another. Each identifier may, but need not, be the same type ofidentifier. For example, a first identifier may be that which is firstscanned and received 300 by transaction process 10. Transaction process10 may receive 304 a scan of the second identifier associated with thefirst identifier, thereby causing transaction process 10 to process 306the financial transaction. In this example, while there may be twodistinct identifiers, both identifiers may be considered as the sameidentifier. As such, the discussion of a single identifier being scannedmore than once should be taken as an example only and not as alimitation on the scope of this disclosure.

Additionally/alternatively, the first and second scan may be received inany order. For example, transaction process 10 may receive 300 the firstscan of identifier 402 from the post office (e.g., via computer 12). Inthis example, the second scan may be received 304 from client electronicdevice 42. This may be useful, e.g., if a given user wished to utilize,e.g., the post office as a type of escrow agent. That is, assuming thatthe user wished to, e.g., provide a check to the post office but nothave it mailed until receipt of, e.g., a purchased item, transactionprocess 10 may notify the seller of the item that a letter/check hadbeen acquired by the post office. Then, after notifying the user (buyer)that the purchased item had been mailed, the user (buyer) could scanidentifier 402 (e.g., such that transaction process 10 received 300 thefirst scan of identifier 402) and thereafter effectuate the mailing ofthe letter/check (e.g., by processing 306 the transaction). Therefore,any particular order of scanning and/or receiving 300/304 identifier 402should be taken as an example only and not as a limitation on the scopeof this disclosure.

Still further, receiving 300/304 a scan of identifier 402 (e.g., sentfrom one or more of the above-noted computing devices) may, but neednot, include identifier 402 (as seen by the human eye). For example, andfor ease of illustration, conventional QR codes may be encoded with data(e.g., numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji, etc.). Such data maybe determined (e.g., via client application 26) to be sent and received300/304 by transaction process 10 in place of or in addition to theactual QR code (e.g., as seen by the human eye).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularimplementations only and is not intended to be limiting of thedisclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps (notnecessarily in a particular order), operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps (not necessarily in a particular order),operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications,variations, and any combinations thereof will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe disclosure. The implementation(s) were chosen and described in orderto best explain the principles of the disclosure and the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the disclosure for various implementation(s) with variousmodifications and/or any combinations of implementation(s) as are suitedto the particular use contemplated.

Having thus described the disclosure of the present application indetail and by reference to implementation(s) thereof, it will beapparent that modifications, variations, and any combinations ofimplementation(s) (including any modifications, variations, andcombinations thereof) are possible without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for use with afinancial instrument comprising: receiving a first scan of anidentifier, the identifier including a visible printed image located onthe financial instrument, the first scan received from a first computingdevice; associating the identifier of the financial instrument with anaccount of a first financial institution to facilitate transfer of anamount of money from the first financial institution to the financialinstrument by, at least in part, associating the identifier with a userof the first computing device based upon, at least in part, receivingthe first scan of the identifier with the visible printed image locatedon the financial instrument; receiving a second scan of the identifierwith the visible printed image located on the financial instrument, thesecond scan received from a second computing device; and processing thetransfer of the amount of money from the financial instrument to asecond financial institution based on, at least in part, receiving thesecond scan of the identifier with the visible printed image located onthe financial instrument.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1wherein the financial instrument includes one or more of a check, atraveler's check, a credit card, an ATM card, a debit card, a pre-paidcard, a refillable card, a gift card, and a money gram.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the identifier includesat least one of a bar code and a QR code.
 4. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1 further comprising: receiving a third scan of theidentifier with the visible printed image located on the financialinstrument, the third scan received from one or more of the secondcomputing device and a third computing device; and transferring a secondamount of money from the first financial institution to the financialinstrument based on, at least in part, receiving the third scan of theidentifier with the visible printed image located on the financialinstrument.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein thefinancial instrument does not include a visible printed image of accountnumber information for the financial instrument.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving afirst scan of a second identifier, the second identifier including asecond visible printed image located on the financial instrument; anddeactivating the financial instrument based on, at least in part,receiving the first scan of the second identifier.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving asecond scan of a second identifier, the second identifier including asecond visible printed image located on the financial instrument; andactivating the financial instrument based on, at least in part,receiving the second scan of the second identifier.
 8. A computingsystem for use with a financial instrument comprising including aprocessor and a memory configured to perform operations comprising:receiving a first scan of an identifier, the identifier including avisible printed image located on the financial instrument, the firstscan received from a first computing device; associating the identifierof the financial instrument with an account of a first financialinstitution to facilitate transfer of an amount of money from the firstfinancial institution to the financial instrument by, at least in part,associating the identifier with a user of the first computing devicebased upon, at least in part, receiving the first scan of the identifierwith the visible printed image located on the financial instrument;receiving a second scan of the identifier with the visible printed imagelocated on the financial instrument, the second scan received from asecond computing device; and processing the transfer of the amount ofmoney from the financial instrument to a second financial institutionbased on, at least in part, receiving the second scan of the identifierwith the visible printed image located on the financial instrument. 9.The computing system of claim 8 wherein the financial instrumentincludes one or more of a check, a traveler's check, a credit card, anATM card, a debit card, a pre-paid card, a refillable card, a gift card,and a money gram.
 10. The computing system of claim 8 wherein theidentifier includes at least one of a bar code and a QR code.
 11. Thecomputing system of claim 8 further comprising: receiving a third scanof the identifier with the visible printed image located on thefinancial instrument, the third scan received from one or more of thesecond computing device and a third computing device; and transferring asecond amount of money from the first financial institution to thefinancial instrument based on, at least in part, receiving the thirdscan of the identifier with the visible printed image located on thefinancial instrument.
 12. The computing system of claim 11 wherein thefinancial instrument does not include a visible printed image of accountnumber information for the financial instrument.
 13. The computingsystem of claim 8 wherein the second location is one of an acquireraccount, an escrow account, a holding account, and an intermediateaccount.
 14. The computing system of claim 8 further comprising:disassociating the identifier from the user, based on, at least in part,processing the financial transaction; and making the identifieravailable for association with a second user based on, at least in part,disassociating the identifier from the user.
 15. A computer programproduct residing on a computer readable storage medium having aplurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed across oneor more processors, causes at least a portion of the one or moreprocessors to perform operations for use with a financial instrumentcomprising: receiving a first scan of an identifier, the identifierincluding a visible printed image located on the financial instrument,the first scan received from a first computing device; associating theidentifier of the financial instrument with an account of a firstfinancial institution to facilitate transfer of an amount of money fromthe first financial institution to the financial instrument by, at leastin part, associating the identifier with a user of the first computingdevice based upon, at least in part, receiving the first scan of theidentifier with the visible printed image located on the financialinstrument; receiving a second scan of the identifier with the visibleprinted image located on the financial instrument, the second scanreceived from a second computing device; and processing the transfer ofthe amount of money from the financial instrument to a second financialinstitution based on, at least in part, receiving the second scan of theidentifier with the visible printed image located on the financialinstrument.
 16. The object of claim 15 wherein the financial instrumentincludes one or more of a check, a traveler's check, a credit card, anATM card, a debit card, a pre-paid card, a refillable card, a gift card,and a money gram.
 17. The object of claim 15 wherein the identifierincludes at least one of a bar code and a QR code.
 18. The object ofclaim 15 further comprising: receiving a third scan of the identifierwith the visible printed image located on the financial instrument, thethird scan received from one or more of the second computing device anda third computing device; and transferring a second amount of money fromthe first financial institution to the financial instrument based on, atleast in part, receiving the third scan of the identifier with thevisible printed image located on the financial instrument.
 19. Theobject of claim 15 wherein the financial instrument does not include avisible printed image of account number information for the financialinstrument.
 20. The object of claim 15 further comprising: at least oneof: receiving a first scan of a second identifier, the second identifierincluding a second visible printed image located on the financialinstrument and deactivating the financial instrument based on, at leastin part, receiving the first scan of the second identifier, andreceiving a second scan of the second identifier, the second identifierincluding the second visible printed image located on the financialinstrument and activating the financial instrument based on, at least inpart, receiving the second scan of the second identifier.